Michael Witmore

Michael Witmore is an American scholar of Renaissance literature and a prominent administrator in the field of humanities. He served as the seventh director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. from 2011 to 2023, overseeing a major institution dedicated to William Shakespeare and early modern culture. His academic work is noted for its innovative application of digital humanities and computational analysis to the study of early modern texts, particularly the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Early life and education

Michael Witmore was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended the University of California, Los Angeles for his graduate work, receiving both a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in English literature. His doctoral dissertation focused on early modern drama and the works of William Shakespeare, laying the groundwork for his future research.

Career

Before his appointment to the Folger Shakespeare Library, Witmore held academic positions at several major universities. He was a professor in the Department of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he taught courses on Renaissance literature and digital humanities. His scholarly approach often involved collaborations with institutions like the University of Pittsburgh and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also contributed to projects supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and engaged with the Modern Language Association.

Directorship of the Folger Shakespeare Library

Witmore became director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in 2011, succeeding Gail Kern Paster. During his tenure, he championed public engagement and digital accessibility for the library's vast collections, which include rare quartos and First Folio editions of Shakespeare's works. He oversaw significant public programming, including exhibitions, theatrical productions by the Folger Theatre, and the annual Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture. A major initiative under his leadership was the planning for "The Folger Project," a comprehensive renovation and expansion of the library's building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., designed to better serve researchers and the public. He concluded his directorship in 2023, with Yasmin AlNoamany serving as interim director.

Scholarship and publications

Witmore's scholarship is characterized by the use of computational linguistics and data visualization to analyze early modern texts. He is a co-founder of the research blog and collaborative "The Wine Dark Sea," which explores quantitative approaches to literature. His notable publications include *Shakespearean Metaphysics* and *Culture of Accidents: Unexpected Knowledges in Early Modern England*, both of which examine philosophical and epistemological questions in the period. He has also co-authored articles in journals such as *Shakespeare Quarterly* and *PMLA*, often focusing on the application of tools from corpus linguistics to the canon of Shakespeare's plays.

Awards and recognition

Throughout his career, Witmore has received grants and fellowships from prestigious organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support his digital humanities research. His work has been recognized by peers in organizations like the Shakespeare Association of America and the Renaissance Society of America. His leadership at the Folger Shakespeare Library was instrumental in securing major gifts for its endowment and renovation project, ensuring the institution's continued prominence in the study of the early modern period.

Category:American academics Category:Shakespeare scholars Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni Category:Directors of the Folger Shakespeare Library